Chapter 73

Olivia

The diner was alive with the usual morning bustle as the waitress approached our booth, carrying a tray of steaming food.

“Here you go,” she said, setting a plate of fragrant chocolate chip pancakes in front of Nathan first.

I felt my mouth start to water just looking at them; they were even bigger and fluffier than I remembered, and it seemed as though the cooks had no shortage of chocolate chips. She set a plate of bacon down next, and I sat in awe of its glimmering sheen and crispy edges.

I had been excited for the chocolate chip pancakes that I also ordered, the comfort of a familiar meal to alleviate the tension that had settled between Nathan and me.

Unfortunately, my anticipation deflated as the waitress set down eggs benedict in front of me. I frowned as I looked down at the plate. Nathan, already fully absorbed in spreading butter on his pancakes, didn’t notice my apprehension.

“Something wrong?” the waitress asked in a low voice, cocking her head.

I had never been someone who was very good at telling the servers at a restaurant if my food was wrong. Especially after years of working in food service, I was even more apprehensive about the concept.

“Nope,” I replied, forcing a smile as I resolved inwardly that I would just eat the eggs benedict and not make a fuss.

“Okay.” The waitress gave me a stiff smile and started to walk away. However, it was at this point that Nathan looked up and frowned as he saw my plate.

“I thought you ordered chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.”

I shrugged. “I did,” I replied, poking at the runny eggs with my fork. “I guess they got the order wrong. It’s okay, though. I like eggs benedict, too.”

Nathan’s frown deepened. “No,” he said, lifting his hand to wave over the waitress. “You ordered pancakes. You should get what you ordered.”

Before I could protest, Nathan waved the waitress over. I felt my face flush a deep shade of red as she approached with an inquisitive expression on her face.

“Can I get you something?” she asked, stopping in front of our table.

Nathan pointed at my plate. “You got her order wrong.”

The waitress’ eyes widened slightly, and she cocked her head. “Did I? I could have sworn you asked for eggs benedict. What did you order?”

“I-I'm sorry,” I stammered, trying to maintain my composure, “but I ordered chocolate chip pancakes. With a side of bacon.”

Her brows furrowed, her gaze dropping to the plate before flicking back up to meet mine. With a sigh of clear annoyance, she grabbed my plate. “I’ll get that straightened out for you,” she said.

“Thank you,” I murmured, still feeling my face flush from embarrassment.

“Should've known the fake Luna would be a bother,” she muttered under her breath as she turned to walk away.

The insult rang in my ears, and I felt a mixture of shock and humiliation.

I saw Nathan tense from the corner of my eye, his hand clenching into a fist. He stood, ready to confront her, but I grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Nathan,” I whispered, shaking my head, “it's not worth it.”

He looked at me, concern etched into his handsome face. “Olivia, I can't just sit here while she—”

“No, Nathan. Please,” I urged, my heart pounding.

He hesitated before sitting back down, his jaw clenched in frustration. “You need to learn to stand up for yourself, Olivia,” he muttered as he drenched his pancakes in maple syrup.

“I do stand up for myself.” I thought back to my run-ins with Angela, and how I managed to stand up for myself then. “It’s just… When you work in food service, you see a lot happen behind the scenes when it comes to food being sent back. It makes me nervous.”

Nathan sighed and said nothing. I could tell that he was frustrated with me.

The waitress returned with my pancakes a few minutes later and set them down in front of me.

“There you go,” she said, sounding annoyed. “Two chocolate chip pancakes. With bacon. Is there anything else you need, or can I get back to my other customers?”

Her voice dripped with disdain. I instantly felt my stomach turn just from the sound of it, and I started to stammer out a response.

However, Nathan suddenly interjected, his voice stern and powerful.

“I hope you know that disrespectful remarks about the Luna can warrant a formal warning from the Alpha Council.”

Nathan’s voice, somehow without much effort on his part, boomed across the diner and caused the faint clinking of silverware and the low hum of conversation to fade. Several other customers looked in our direction.

I felt myself shrink beneath their gazes, wishing that Nathan had just kept his mouth shut about all of this.

The waitress’s face paled. “I-I’m sorry, Mr. Ford,” she muttered, her voice shaking. “I was only—”

“No excuses,” Nathan interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. “Speak about my mate like that again, and you’ll be sorry for it.”

“Y-Yes, sir,” she murmured before scurrying away. I watched as she disappeared through the double swinging doors of the kitchen. The diner, still silent, slowly resumed its previous activity.

I was taken aback, my mind a whirlwind of emotions. I felt flattered that Nathan had defended me, but also embarrassed by the entire situation.

He was assertive, protective, and looked unbelievably handsome doing it, yet I couldn't shake the underlying tension.

“You didn’t need to do that,” I whispered, leaning across the table.

Nathan simply shrugged and popped a forkful of pancake into his mouth. “Would you rather be eating eggs benedict right now? Would you rather allow lower ranked werewolves to be saying nasty things about you?”

“Well… No, but… It’s embarrassing,” I replied.

“Olivia,” he said, his blue-green eyes suddenly meeting mine, “you shouldn't feel embarrassed. You’re the Luna. Have some dignity for yourself and don’t allow people to walk all over you.”

“But she's not completely wrong, Nathan,” I admitted, my voice barely a whisper. “I'm…” I paused, glancing around, then lowered my voice even further. “I’m not a real Luna.”

Suddenly, Nathan reached across the table, gently taking my hand. I felt electrified by his touch, and nearly pulled away.

“Olivia, that doesn't matter,” he said. “For all intents and purposes, you are the real Luna as long as our ‘relationship’ continues. And even if you weren’t, I’d still stand up for you when people try to insult you. You’re my best friend.”

I was a bit taken aback and equally comforted by Nathan’s kind words. However, I still couldn’t shake the tension.

“But it does matter,” I argued, meeting his gaze. “We're living a lie, Nathan. We're pretending for the sake of...what? The Alpha Council and their stupid traditions?”

His grip tightened around my hand. “Yes, for the Alpha Council and their stupid traditions. But more importantly, for you. You deserve to be treated with respect, Olivia, Luna or not.”

I was silenced by his words, my heart pounding in my chest. He was right, of course, but it didn't quell the unease that roiled within me.

The truth was, I wasn't a real Luna. And despite Nathan's efforts to protect me, to make this easier, I couldn't shake the reality of our situation.

How long would it even be before the truth finally came out, and people realized that their gossiping was actually the truth?